pavlova

/pævˈləʊvə/

//pævˈləʊvə// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"pavlova" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pavlova” is uncommon English (frequency #60,349 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,349
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A meringue dessert usually topped with fruit and cream.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pavlova · pavlova · English

pavlova · rank #60,349 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,349
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Pellegrino

Nearest frequency peer: Pellegrino (+2 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “pavlova”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “pavlova” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for pavlova
PropertyValue
Headwordpavlova
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pævˈləʊvə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#60,349
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “pavlova” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).pavlovafalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Pellegrino” (#60,351), “parkside” (#60,344), “parishioner” (#60,343). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pavlova” is #60,349. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

pavlova is uncommon English at frequency #60,349 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /pævˈləʊvə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A meringue dessert usually topped with fruit and cream.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for pavlova in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From the surname Pavlova, from Russian Па́влова (Pávlova), feminine form of Па́влов (Pávlov), named after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova (1881–1931). Australia/New Zealand from circa 1930. Both nations lay claim to origination of the dish and the name. Acco… The correct English form is pavlova, spelled P-A-V-L-O-V-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A meringue dessert usually topped with fruit and cream.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how pavlova appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The pavlova — rich in whipped cream and ice-cream — is a wonderful dessert that should appeal to anyone with a sweet tooth.
  2. For a successful pavlova you′ll need a spotlessly clean, dry stainless steel or glass bowl.

Etymology

From the surname Pavlova, from Russian Па́влова (Pávlova), feminine form of Па́влов (Pávlov), named after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova (1881–1931). Australia/New Zealand from circa 1930. Both nations lay claim to origination of the dish and the name. According to research undertaken by the Oxford English Dictionary, however, the earliest known attestation for the term is from New Zealand in 1927.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "pavlova"?
"pavlova" is spelled P-A-V-L-O-V-A. The IPA pronunciation is /pævˈləʊvə/.
What does "pavlova" mean?
As a noun, "pavlova" means: A meringue dessert usually topped with fruit and cream.
How do you pronounce "pavlova"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pavlova" is /pævˈləʊvə/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "pavlova"?
From the surname Pavlova, from Russian Па́влова (Pávlova), feminine form of Па́влов (Pávlov), named after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova (1881–1931). Australia/New Zealand from circa 1930. Both nations lay claim to origination of the dish and the ... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "pavlova", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pampers#60,339Pfister#60,363Pinkett#60,369pompano#60,384

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list